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[0:00] It's dark, it's cold, it's that time of year, when the story is told that brings Christmas cheer. We sing carols of old as the day draws near, and we wrap all our problems in a Christmas veneer.

[0:11] But what is the story that you choose to hear? Is it the one of Santa and flying reindeer? Or the one about money to every cashier? Maybe the one of a boy in a manger?

[0:22] Have you heard the story of a baby in danger? It happened in history two millennia ago, and it affects each one of us more than you know. It's about a kingdom and a king, a crown and a throne, and whether or not we think it's our own.

[0:39] So let me tell you how it first went down. In the capital city, in a small country town, who has the right to the throne and the crown? Is it you? Is it me? If there was a king who had a kingdom that lasted forever, who should it be?

[0:54] Enter King Herod, the king of the Jews, who went down in history as Herod the Great. But an Arab by birth, not even a Jew, yet appointed their king by the Roman sin.

[1:07] Friend of Mark Anthony, commander of Rome, in Jerusalem he made a palace, his own. Ruling a kingdom that wasn't his own, with a title, yet no birthright or no line to the throne.

[1:24] But a prophecy was brewing for the Jewish race, of the true king's arrival and where it takes place. That King David's offspring would sit on the throne, and his kingdom be established forever his own.

[1:42] Then eastern men came to royalty's gate, seeking a baby, found Herod the Great.

[1:55] Where is he who is born king of the Jews? When Herod heard this, it was probably the news. I am the king, although not born. So, now thinking of this baby with scorn, Who is this one who threatens my throne, my kingdom, my rule, my crown is all my own?

[2:12] This must be the Christ, the one promised to come. Does his arrival mean my life is undone? If he fights for his throne, it's at least not yet. I'll kill him as a baby, before he's a threat.

[2:23] But ever since Herod, up to this day, people have treated the Christ child the same. Don't let this baby get in the way.

[2:34] It's our life, our throne, our kingdom. But is it? Is the baby in a manger really good news? Or is God just a spoiled sport bringing Christmas blues?

[2:46] Does believing in him mean our life is undone? Does following Jesus mean the end to our family? The beauty of Christmas is the Son of God's name.

[3:06] Emmanuel, God with us. Flesh he became. He's the true Son of David, the one born to reign. Jesus is Christ, the angels proclaim. But it's good news of great joy for you and me.

[3:21] Because he rules forever from sea to sea. His kingdom is earth and he's king of all people. His throne is the heavens and the cosmos his steeple. He's the saviour of sinners, I'm sure you're one.

[3:35] He's the conqueror of death, God's very own Son. He's the one who created you, the giver of life. The one who could end all darkness and strife. He's making a new world, a kingdom to last.

[3:49] A place for his people when this world is past. He wants you to be there, he bids you believe. For in him eternal life you receive. So this is the true Christmas origin story.

[4:04] A child born to us, the true king of glory. He can end sin and death, yet seems briefly in danger. The one who gives us breath is the God in our manger. He's the great Christmas gift, the father's own son.

[4:19] And on the tag is written, for you God has come. Well folks, the truth is, this is a wee test.

[4:44] We're going to do this every Sunday. If only. If there's a way to make it a bit more palatable, a bit easier to listen to me going on about things, then hopefully this is good for you.

[4:58] But it's good to be here, it's good to enjoy fellowship, it's good to enjoy some refreshments together, it's good to enjoy family coming over and visitors coming with us. It's good to think about Christmas and all the joy that belongs to it.

[5:11] So I want to just talk just for a little bit about what Christmas is all about. And I've got some signs to help us, but I need you to help me. Christmas related signs.

[5:25] I want you to tell me what comes next, okay? Ho, ho, ho. Actually, it's this.

[5:41] Ho, logos. And that's not somebody shouting on their pal, ho, logos. You know, there's this thing that John wrote about in his gospel, about the birth of this Christmas child.

[5:58] Ho, logos. In fact, no wise men in John's account, no star, no shepherds, no angel, no little town of Bethlehem, no pregnant virgin, no confused husband, no crowded house, no manger for a crib, no gold, frankincense, or myrrh, and no king chasing them down.

[6:19] In fact, in just five Greek words, John tells us what Christmas is all about. Maybe somebody would like to try that.

[6:36] Give it a go. Kai, ho, logos, sarx, again, ito. Somebody says, what's Christmas really about? Just say that. And if they ask you any more, just say no comment. Kai, ho, logos, sarx, again, ito.

[6:50] That means, and the word became flesh. You see, something we need to know about God revealing himself to us is that we can actually never truly know who God is because God, by definition, is in a category completely separate from us.

[7:11] God is uncreated. We are created. As created beings, we are only capable of experiencing created things.

[7:22] We're enjoying it right now. Hot chocolate, tea, coffee, shortbread. We only experience created things. Our senses only allow us to sense things that come in created forms.

[7:37] How on earth could we ever understand or know an uncreated being like God? You see, we cannot leave this creation. No matter how hard we try, we are part of it.

[7:48] We cannot stop being created. There's no exit door that we can go through to go where God is, where he exists outside of creation.

[7:59] We cannot go there. Firstly, to think of that place geographically is wrong. Secondly, to think of it physically is wrong. And thirdly, to think of it at all means that we've already confined it to the limits of creaturely thoughts.

[8:15] We can never go from being created to uncreated. Therefore, we can never know who God truly is. To know who God is and what God is and what he is like is something we're never going to arrive at by our own investigation or imagination.

[8:32] Man cannot make God up, nor can he know him by his own investigation. You see, God must be the one to reveal himself to us. And he must do it in a way that we can sense, in a way that created beings can detect and understand.

[8:53] God must be the one to reveal himself to us, and he must do it in a created form. Five words. You see, if all God does is download information to us, we can't really know God.

[9:11] What human is there on earth who can show us God? Who can show us God? None. Because no human has ever seen the invisible, uncreated, outside of creation God.

[9:25] No human has ever been with him. No human has ever been with God or known him or seen him. Wonder of wonders that God does this.

[9:37] You see, the only reason that John can write those words is because he's seen it. But John is a created being. How could he see it? The only way that he's seen it is because the Word became flesh and dwelt with him.

[9:53] Let me read John chapter 1. Not the full thing. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

[10:06] All things were made through him and without him was not anything that was made. In him was life. And the life was the light of men.

[10:18] The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him.

[10:34] He was not the light but came to bear witness about the light. The true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

[10:46] He was in the world and the world was made through him yet the world did not know him. He came to his own and his own his own people did not receive him.

[10:59] But to all who did receive him who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God who were born not of blood nor of the will of flesh nor of the will of man but of God.

[11:12] And the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory glory as of the only son from the father full of grace and truth.

[11:30] You see if all we had were these 14 verses of scripture wondrous verses if that was all we had we would be saying well John who is it?

[11:43] Who was it? What was he called? Who was that person that the flesh became? Do we know who it is? You see the whole of John's gospel is about explaining the person called the word.

[11:58] He spends the rest of his book telling us how he met God because God became a human and walked with him. And so John wants us to know that unlike everyone else the birth of the Christmas child born on Christmas day was not his beginning it was his becoming.

[12:16] It was the arrival in flesh of someone who pre-existed beyond creation. Someone who was in the beginning but long before he became flesh. Someone who was both with God and was God.

[12:30] And though he came as a child he is the one who created all things. Though in flesh his human life began just like ours he is nevertheless the one who is the very source of all life.

[12:45] This is a person who has never been created. The Christmas child never been created. He's always existed. He's always been with God and always has been God.

[12:58] And there is nothing in the whole universe that is like him. All things depend on this Christmas child yet he depends on nothing. And in him was life.

[13:11] Where does anything in creation get its life from? Where do you get your life from? Nothing that has life has it without him. Everything that has life owes it to the Christmas child.

[13:25] That means the life that you have right now comes from him and depends on him. Even while he was in a manger wrapped in swaddling cloths he was upholding the universe by the word of his power.

[13:39] And the life that was in him was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness. The darkness has not overcome it. Not only do we learn that he is the source of all life but we learn what kind of life that is.

[13:53] What is the life that Jesus has within him? What is the kind of life that he gives? It is pure light. The light of men.

[14:04] There is no darkness in him. There is no darkness in the life that he gives. That means that any darkness that we experience now any darkness we experience in this world any darkness that we experience in our life does not come from him.

[14:19] Because there is no darkness in him and there is no darkness in the life that he gives. Isn't that good news? Christmas in the depths of winter. In the bleak midwinter.

[14:32] The only reason why we know any of this in the first place is because the word became flesh. The person who is God who has always been who pre-exists who created all things that person ever existing beyond creation has himself entered creation and became flesh.

[14:51] Remember we can only truly know God if he reveals himself in a way that created beings can know and understand. The problem is that no part of creation has ever been with God has ever been in the realm of the uncreated.

[15:08] So how can God do this? John says in verse 18 no one has seen God. Not me not you no one has seen God.

[15:19] then he says praise God the only God who is at the Father's side he has made him known. That can only happen if the word becomes flesh.

[15:33] There is now one who has indeed been at the very heart of the uncreated. One who has been with God and is himself God and therefore has truly seen the unseeable God.

[15:45] he has lived in unapproachable light and truly knows the uncreated God. He has been at the Father's side from everlasting to everlasting and has now entered creation to take on a creaturely form so that he can reveal that life and that God to his creation.

[16:07] Wonder of wonders. You see it says in Hebrews long ago at many times in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.

[16:22] His Son whom he appointed heir of all things through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

[16:37] No one has ever seen God but the Son who is at the Father's side has seen him and now he has come in human form to make him known. You see Jesus said this didn't he?

[16:50] If you have seen me you have seen the Father. I do nothing of my own accord only what I see the Father do. Say nothing only what I hear the Father say.

[17:02] The word became flesh and dwelt among us. You see John who wrote this he was there. He seen him with his own eyes and touched him with his own hands. heard him with his own ears.

[17:13] All his senses experienced and created forms the word who was in the beginning. The word John uses in verse 18 that Jesus was at the Father's side the word for that is the same word that John uses in chapter 13 about himself reclining at Jesus' side.

[17:35] Because the word became flesh John could recline on the lap of the one who reclined in the lap of the Father. What a wondrous thing. We can trust what God we can trust what John says about God because he was truly with the one who made God known.

[17:55] John reclined in the lap of God. It can only do that because the word became flesh. what a truly amazing thing it is that God has now made himself visible touchable local vulnerable.

[18:12] Out of all the humans that ever lived there is now one who is unlike every other. One who is the word from the beginning. John will spend the rest of the book telling us exactly which human that is.

[18:25] The one who became flesh. Verse 14 he says that one is full of grace and truth. And then in verse 17 he says grace and truth came through Jesus the Christ.

[18:41] Connect the dots. The word who was in the beginning is Jesus the Christ. Jesus who lived from Nazareth is the word who was in the beginning. That's his name.

[18:54] That's who it is. Which human was actually the word of God wrapped in flesh? It's the human called Jesus the Christ. Fully man yet fully God. What a thing it is for him to come to us.

[19:07] This is indeed the only way that we can truly know God that he came to us. Yet as if that wasn't the greatest surprise in the story. The incredible thing is verse 11 that when he came to his own people they did not receive him.

[19:25] Oh how they did not know that their very lives and existence depend on the one that they reject. How unthinkable that when the creator should cross the boundary between the uncreated and the created to reveal himself to his creatures that they should not receive him.

[19:44] How dreadful it is when the son of God becomes a human other humans should not only close their doors on him but damn him to death. You see when you reject the very source of light and life what can you then expect except darkness and death?

[20:04] The truly wonderful thing the wonderful surprise in this story is verse 12 but to all who did receive him to all who do receive him he gave the right to become children of God.

[20:20] You see the uncreated coming into creation the light coming into darkness the word becoming flesh so that all who do receive him what is it to receive him?

[20:33] John says who believe in his name. What name John? Jesus the Christ. John tells us in the rest of his gospel who it is and at the end of his gospel he reminds us again that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and by believing you may have life in his name.

[20:54] The word became flesh He came to make God known. He came to bring life into death light into darkness.

[21:06] He came that we may have life in his name. He became flesh that we may become children of God. I'm going to pray and we'll sing two final songs and rejoice in the Christmas child.

[21:23] God our Father in heaven that we can come to you in prayer that we can know you that we can even know you as because you sent your son word to become flesh to make you known to us.

[21:41] Help us to reflect on this in Christmas and help us to know the joy in life all the joy and all the goodness that is in this miracle that you came to us in human form to make yourself known to us that we may know you, believe you, become children of God.

[22:04] Lord, we praise you for the Christmas child. We praise you for Jesus, your son, born in Bethlehem, lay in a manger wrapped and swaddling clothes.

[22:16]  We give you thanks for him and his name. Amen. Amen.